Ah, long-neglected blog (and readers, should there be any out there): My apologies for leaving you so long. I suppose for a while even I didn’t want to hear myself rant about how desperate things have gotten, but let me now regale you with some of the tales of months past.
After some two hundred applications that garnered me about four interviews, none of which got me a job save the minimum wage one, I was rather shocked to hear from a recruiter through LinkedIn that she had seen my profile and thought I might be a great fit for a position she was working on.
She interviewed me over the phone, and it seemed like a serendipitous fit, with them seeking a receptionist who happened to be an excellent proofreader, and me seeking, well, ANY JOB FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, and if it happens to use my greatest skill (pretentiously locating errors) well then BONUS!
At the in-person interview, for which I actually splurged on a proper suit, I met with four people. The first person informed me that the position was, in fact, much more of an office management position than a receptionist (although that, too, was included). An even better fit, then, as I’d been concerned it wouldn’t be challenging enough. And surely I’d get the job since how many other office managers out there happen to also be sick copy editors? (That’s “sick” in the parlance of our youth, as in, “awesome.”)
The second person asked, rather perplexingly, if I had any graphics experience. A bit odd to expect your proofreader to also be a visual artist, I thought, but perhaps hers was just wishful thinking given that she herself had overflow graphics work. The fourth person asked the same question.
Despite these troubling mentions, I left the interview feeling elated to find a great company (actually the first company I was really interested in joining throughout the entire job search at this point!), and like I had to be the perfect candidate (especially since they found me!)
A day later, the recruiter emails me.
She is super sorry, but she hadn’t been informed of the full scope of the job.
They are, in fact, looking for someone with extensive graphic design experience.
Who will also run the office. And proofread. And order lunch.
In related news, I am really hoping to hire my niece a unicorn for her next birthday, so be sure to send links to your favorite unicorn-recruiting sites.
(Seriously… people who draw are not grammarians. Largely. To horribly generalize, and intending no offense to my awesome artist friends, but it’s a fact.)
Share your face-palm-inducing moments using recruiters in the comments!
The Desperation Papers 